Sermon Outline: A Plan for Healing
Easter 2017: The Easter Journey: Message 4
Topic: Healing (Resurrection Sunday)
Main Point: We are bruised by sin
Intended Response: Come to Jesus for healing
Key Verse: Luke 4:18
Introduction
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says: ‘…I have come to set at liberty those that are bruised’ (Luke 4:18 KJV). This message considers how we are all bruised in some way and how Jesus is our healer.
A. A Plan for Healing
Ø The bruise of sin has left a permanent mark on our soul
Ø Some bruises cannot be seen
Ø Jesus came to heal us of these bruises
Point One: Spiritually speaking, we are all bruised by the impact of sin
B. Dealing with new Bruises
Ø We all experience the pain of living in a fallen world
Ø the Kingdom of God has already begun, but it is not yet fully realised
Ø The other challenge for us all is to avoid bruising others
Point Two: Throughout life, we are still affected by results of sin, namely pain, suffering and death.
C. Three types of Healing
Ø Immediate
Ø Progressive
Ø Ultimate
Point Three: We can experience a range of healings in Jesus
Teaching Illustrations and props:
This sermon can be enhanced through visual props, such as palm trees or the cross. The Mercy Seat is also referred to in the response time. You could display a first Aid kit up the front to reinforce the idea of healing.
More resources for this sermon, including PowerPoint slides are available at www.sarmy.org.au
Sermon Transcript: A Plan for Healing
Easter 2017: The Easter Journey: Message 4
Introduction
Good morning and welcome to our Easter Sunday service. We are so glad you could be here today.
There is something so powerful about what happened at Easter. Across the world, many people will attend church this weekend, perhaps for the first time, to hear about Jesus’ sacrifice and the hope He has made available for all.
Most of us are familiar with the scenes of Easter. How Jesus was beaten, whipped and hung upon the cross – but why did Jesus suffer in this way and what difference can this make to us today?
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says:
‘…I have come to set at liberty those that are bruised’ (Luke 4:18 KJV).
Those who are bruised…?
· Who are these that are bruised?
· What type of bruising is Jesus referring to?
· Are we bruised?
· If so, how and when did we get bruised?
Illustration (insert your personal
As a young boy growing up in Scotland, I remember one of our favourite spots to play after school was on a nature strip at the bottom of our street. It was about the size of a small football oval and, at one end, was home to a dense family of conifer trees. We would often play games in there -like tag, hide and seek, and pirates versus Peter Pan.
I recall one afternoon sitting at the top of one of the smaller trees—as all good boys playing Peter Pan do—and casually leaning back. Last time I looked there was a branch there, but for some reason it had decided to move. I came crashing down with a mighty thump and landed on my arm. I didn’t break anything but the next morning I woke up and could hardly move my left elbow.
Swollen and bruised, I had to keep my arm restricted in a pressure bandage for weeks until I could move it safely again. I was proud of the deep purple bruise that eventually came to the surface and I gladly showed it to anyone who was interested. I got many bruises from climbing and bustling about in those trees.
Transition
Bruises appear in all shapes and sizes. Some bruises come up quickly; others can take several days to appear. They occur when one or more of the small veins break under the skin due to a hard knock or collision, and blood leaks out and is trapped underneath the skin. Bruises start off red but quickly turn blue or purple. As they begin to fade, they turn green and yellow before they disappear entirely.
Point 1: A Plan for Healing
However, some bruises cannot be seen. It could be the pain of a broken relationship with someone we care about. Like having a bruise on the heart, it causes pain when you hear their name or remember how they are no longer with you.
It could be pain of anxiety and stress caused by a lack of finances, lack of food, or lack of employment. It may be more general pain, an illness or physical ailment that we carry and contend with.
The truth is we are all carrying bruises of some sort. We all have areas of pain in our lives that we are trying to heal or are hoping, or praying, will go away.
So what was this bruise Jesus was referring to when He said:
‘…I have come to set at liberty those that are bruised’ (Luke 4:18 KJV).
The biggest bruise the human race received can be traced back to the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God their relationship with God was broken and something spiritual inside of them was broken and bruised.
Sin damaged their relationship with God and made it became much harder for them to communicate with God. They were expelled from the Garden of Eden and could no longer walk, talk and see God’s face.
From that point onwards, their relationship and all of humankind’s relationship with God was broken, and the bruise of death and separation left a permanent mark on our soul. The Bible teaches that this bruise marks all human beings, ‘consequently, one trespass has resulted in condemnation for all people’ (Rom 5:18).
Spiritually speaking, we are all bruised by the impact of sin on our lives.
And this is where the Easter story can impact each of us today. Jesus came to heal us of this bruise, he came to free us, so we can once again enjoy a loving relationship with God. He did this by accepting the bruise that was meant for us, taking it upon his body at the cross on Easter Friday.
The Bible says in Isaiah,
‘But it was the Lord’s good plan to bruise him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for in, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands’
(Isa 53:10).
Jesus came to stand in front of the collision point of sin and take on the bruise that was meant for us. The very first promise of this plan can be found in Genesis:
‘…it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel’ (Gen 3:15 KJV).
This was God’s good plan, that a saviour would come and take on the sins of the world, and through his sacrifice we all can receive everlasting life:
‘But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed’ (Isa 53:5 KJV).
Jesus’ death on the cross was the healing plan of God to restore our broken relationship with him, giving us his Spirit so we can have forgiveness, restored friendship and eternal life.
Point 1: Spiritually speaking, we are all bruised by the impact of sin on our lives
Transition
The question remains however, if Christ has come to suffer this bruise instead of us, why then do we still experience the pain of sin and a broken relationship with God?
Point 2: Dealing with New Bruises
The Bible teaches that Jesus defeated the power of sin and death on the cross, and that now, through him, we too can live a life free from the power of sin (Rom 5:17).
Yet, despite all of these wonderful truths we all experience the pain of living in a fallen world. One only needs to look at society to see that the whole world is bruised. In Australia alone, one in four adults experience the pain of bruised emotions and suffer from depression and anxiety, and the biggest killer among our young people is suicide.
Jesus addressed the issue of our ongoing bruises in the Gospel of John. He taught us that the blessing of the Kingdom of God has already begun, but it is not yet fully realised:
‘For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known’
(1 Corinthians 13:12).
The Bible also reveals that although we have redemption in Christ we are still waiting for its full expression:
‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption’ (Eph 4:30).
While we wait for the full expression of God’s kingdom, we have to face the challenge of receiving new bruises – but we can do so with the help of Jesus:
“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13).
The other challenge for us all is to avoid bruising others. A life of holiness is to be Christlike. This of course is the work of the magnificent Holy Spirit:
‘For you have been called to live in freedom…use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this single sentence: “Love your neighbour as yourself”’ (Gal 5:13–14).
Jesus’ nature was one of a healer not a hurter. As we extend love and grace to others, we can avoid bruising others.
Point 2: Throughout life we are still clearly affected by results of sin, namely pain, suffering and death.
Transition
How then does healing in Christ occur?
Point 3: Three types of Healing
1. Immediate Healing
The Bible uses many images to describe the nature of God such as a gardener, a fire, a husband, a shepherd and many more. One of the most prevalent images found in the New Testament is that of a physician. Some bruises, like haematomas, are so traumatic the human body cannot heal them by itself.
You need a doctor to carefully operate on the bruised area. It is the same with our souls—we need Christ the physician’s help to remove the damage of sin from our lives.
On the cross, people mocked Jesus and said ‘He can’t even save himself’. But that’s the point; he wasn’t there to save himself, he died to save us. The meaning of the word salvation includes welfare, prosperity, deliverance, safety; all are pictures of healing and cure for the pain of this world. When we accept Jesus as the Lord and Saviour of our lives, God forgives us, heals our broken relationship with Him, and gives us the Holy Spirit – it’s amazing!
2. Progressive Healing
The ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives also brings about healing in our lives. There are many stories in the history of The Salvation Army of people being miraculously healed in Salvationist meetings, of people being delivered from drunkenness, drug addictions, or receiving physical healing such as the immediate removal of incurable diseases and illnesses.
One of the most frequent forms of healing takes place when people join a Christian community and God begins to repair the brokenness in their lives. We can testify to having seen the power of Christ’s love restoring people back into their families, employment, and society, through the love, care and service of others.
Some will experience miraculous instantaneous healing in this life by the moving of the Holy Spirit. For others, healing will occur progressively as they engage in healing communities such as a local corps or make lifestyle choices that promote healthy clean living.
And for those who persevere through this life without receiving any signs of actual healing, one thing can be sure, if they have put their trust in Jesus, they will enter into that place where:
‘there is no more death, nor mourning, crying or pain’ (Rev 21:4).
3. The Ultimate Healing
The full expression of our healing will take place when we enter into heaven and we receive what the Bible calls ‘a glorified body’—one that cannot be bruised. As the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian Church:
‘So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body’ (1 Cor 15:42–44).
The ultimate healing we will receive is when we get to be in God’s presence forever:
‘Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed’ (Isaiah 65: 20).
Point 3: We can experience a range of healing in Jesus
Call to Action
As begin to close our service today, can I ask;
· What has God been saying to you during this message?
· Is it time for you to come back into relationship with God?
· Are you carrying a bruise and would like God to heal of that today?
We can bring all our bruises to Christ. He alone has the ultimate power to carry our pain and heal us. Easter shows us that He wants to do that. He alone is the way back to God. As we pray and seek God’s grace and mercy, His healing power will flow into our life.
We may experience a fantastic healing in an area of our brokenness, or we may receive the strength to carry on through the pain, knowing that Christ is our healer and ultimately we will stand one day before him, whole in the fully expressed kingdom of heaven.
Prayer
1. You may want to come up the front to the mercy seat and spend some time with God. I am struck by the simplicity and power of Exodus 25:22: